Singing Snyman
It was an intimate crowd at the Jacques Snyman concert at Studio620 in St. Petersburg on Jan. 26, but the heartfelt performance by the former Rugby player brought huge applause. The counter-tenor returned to the venue after a successful concert tour of Italy. His songs were all dedicated to “Love Through the Ages.” Love, he explained, is more than just an emotion. He shared the stories behind each song, mostly from opera pieces many of which end tragically. But it wasn’t all serious. Snyman also managed to talk about the positive side of love, dedicating one Ludwig Van Beethoven to his husband, Victor, whom he married a year ago. Following the concert, Snyman spoke with Watermark, and shared that his immigration status is nearly complete after meeting with officials the day before arriving in St. Petersburg. He expects to become an American Citizen any day, thanks to updated laws that recognize same-sex marriages on a federal level.
Softball pitches in to help its own
Last summer, Suncoast Softball League’s treasurer, Scott Lenker, learned he had pancreatic cancer. He spent most of the season in the hospital and, at times, word spread that he may not make it out the doors alive. Fortunately, his health improved and he’s continuing on the path to recovery. However, his medical bills have stacked up. That’s when the league teamed up with Hamburger Mary’s in Ybor City for Drag Queen Bingo, which raised more than $4,000 to help with Lenker’s bills. The night was hosted by Esme Russell and several raffle prizes were donated to not only help Lenker, but to raise awareness on pancreatic cancer.
Madonna swag for sale!
We know that this story appears on the Tampa Bay News page of this issue, but we’re just too excited about this Madonna swag to not mention it here. Apparently, Madonna’s GBF (Gay Best Friend) from way back before she was famous had a bunch of memorabilia from their time together. Martin Burgonye, an artist, roomed with Madonna, supported her financially (and she supported him as well) and collaborated on several projects before he passed away in the mid 1980s. When he died, his possessions went to his parents, who live in St. Petersburg and have been sitting on a gold mine of pop culture awesomeness ever since. Now, the items ranging from original artwork, intimate Poloroids and hand-written notes are scheduled to reach the auction block on Feb. 9 at Myers Fine Art. Check it out for yourself and make a bid at MyersFineArt.com.
It should be called Gaysparilla!
The annual Gasparilla Festival invaded Tampa on Jan. 25, and once again, the LGBT community was in the thick of it. While Gasparilla is technically a straight, drunken, street festival. There were plenty of gays wandering around with their buddies in the thick crowds. And while there were not any gay floats, exactly, there were plenty of LGBTs spotted on and around floats as they made their way down Bayshore Boulevard. The festivities surrounding Gasparilla continue into February, with the Knight Parade in Ybor City on Feb. 8 and the Gasparilla Classic Softball Tournament Feb. 14-16.
